The Rain Fell As Her Heart Did
by Swmrgrl87
Summary: Life is made up of defining moments. No matter how big or small the moment may be there are always events in life that can be pinpointed as times that have changed someone's life. What happens when Emily, happily in a relationship with Maya meets the one and only Paige McCullers? AU. Rated M for future purposes.
1. Chapter 1

**-A Note: Hey everybody! I told you I'd be back! Here's the start of a brand new story. I don't have this one completely planned out like the other one so I don't know if chapters will come as quickly but I did want to get something out to you guys. Please comment as always. I love reading them, good or bad. I hope you all enjoy! **

Life is made up of defining moments. No matter how big or small the moment may be there are always events in life that can be pinpointed as times that have changed someone's life. For some it's a graduation or maybe a promotion that allows them to realize that all their hard work paid off in more ways than they could imagine. For others, it's the simple unexpected act of a stranger that triggers a deeper realization of what human interaction means to them. For some however, it's when their eyes first connect with another's and in that fraction of a second they know their life will never be the same.

It's a gloomy and ordinary Friday evening for Emily Fields. She's thankful for the light September mist falling outside of her coffee shop forcing the normally steady stream of patrons filing in and out to be nonexistent. Normally, she'd be too busy to register her own thoughts but today it seems as though everyone is taking advantage of the excellent excuse to be cooped inside and huddled together with their girlfriends and boyfriends. She's about half way through her shift when the bell rings signaling a new customer. A smile creeps on her face when she directs her gaze towards the door to see the dark-haired and skinned girl walking in her shop. The girl returns her smile as she continues to walk towards Emily.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever be able to get over the sight of you in that little apron," the girl declares with a grin. When she reaches Emily, she pulls her in for a short but loving kiss. She knows her displays of affection towards the taller dark-haired girl need to be kept brief at the woman's place of employ. The last thing she wants to do is get Emily fired. Especially, since she's already almost done it once since they've started dating. It was the first time she had come to see her girlfriend at work and the sight of Emily in that cute little apron and her hair pulled back into a messy pony tail was just too much for the shorter girl to handle. She marched right up to Emily and pulled her in for a long lingering kiss right in the middle of the shop, making it very difficult for the tall dark-haired barista to balance her full tray of empty dishes. Had Emily not been able to hold onto that tray, it's very likely she could've been in more trouble than receiving just a warning.

"Maya… what are you doing here? I thought you had an evening class," Emily questions, once their lips part from their chaste kiss, a smile still drawn across her face. She hadn't been expecting this pleasant surprise. In fact, Emily was sure she was going to be in for a long, boring evening alone.

"I do have a class. I was just on my way," Maya answers as she scans her stunning girlfriend's appearance. She swears that Emily could pull off a burlap sack as a fashion statement if she wanted to but there is just something about the way her legs stretch out from beneath that little red apron tied low on her hips that drives her crazy in all the right ways. "I just wanted to stop in and say 'Hi'. How long do you work tonight?"

"I close tonight so I'll be here late," the raven-haired girl sighs out. Closing shifts where always difficult no matter if it was slow going or busier than a bee hive in spring. In one case, she would be out of her mind bored, having nothing to do but pretend to clean up the shop over again for the fifth time that evening until someone came in and interacted with her for all of two minutes to order their coffee. If she was busy though, as she normally is on Fridays, she wouldn't have time to do her other duties required to close shop and of course she would be there much later than she honestly would like. It's not that she doesn't like her job because in fact she really loves it. It's an excellent job to have while she's attending classes at nearby Hollis College. It honestly wasn't a hard decision for her to want to stay in Rosewood after High School. All of her friends had either decided to stay in town and study at Hollis as well or attend universities close by and it was nice to have them close. Even after two years, she still doesn't regret her decision at all. Plus it's nice that her girlfriend is here and starting her junior year as well. In fact, Emily feels as though her life couldn't get any better.

"Do you want me to stop back and keep you company after class? I mean I can just do homework or you know stare at the attractive staff," Maya playfully jokes with a wink.

"You know I would love that but it's Friday. Don't you usually have that art club you go to?"

"Damn, you're right. I forgot," the shorter girl replies suddenly remembering her extra commitments to her chosen area of study. "Well tomorrow I'm all yours, deal? Isn't it your day off?" Emily smiles and nods happy to know she would be spending some much needed time with her girlfriend. They've both been so busy that they've barely seen each other over the last week. With classes starting up again and their work schedules conflicting, it was going to be difficult until they were able to get back into a routine again.

"It's a deal," she agrees giving her shorter girlfriend another short peck. "Have fun in class."

"You know I always do," Maya replies before turning around and disappearing through the door with a little playful wave, leaving Emily alone again in the shop.

Emily's evening seems to be taking forever. It's unusually slow, even for a rainy day so she's thankful for the couple just left, giving her something to do. She takes her time busing the table, much longer than usual, all the while staring out the window at the lightly falling rain. It's falling so lightly in fact that it would be difficult to tell it's raining at all without paying close attention to the tiny ripples in the puddles on the street. As she stares out the window, nonchalantly wiping down the table, a dark figure in the edge of the window catches her eye: a passerby strolling through. Their eyes meet for a brief moment as the walker, a girl with long brown hair and her collar pulled up tight on her neck walks past Emily's spot in the window. As soon as she arrived, she was gone, continuing her way down the dim and deserted street becoming just a dark and retreating figure, leaving Emily peering after her through the misty window.

It was odd that Emily had never seen the girl before. Because she has lived in Rosewood her entire life, she knew pretty much everyone who lived in town but the beautiful brunette stranger is a mystery to her. She was in fact stunning from what Emily could see but she was also gone now so Emily dismisses the stranger with a small shake of her head and returns to her work with the table. With the table clear and the rest of the shop still clean from lack of use, Emily turns her attention to the coffee bar and does her best to pretend to be working. Her attention is on wiping down the counter again when she hears the bell signaling the end of her boredom for at least the next five minutes. What she's not expecting is the feeling she experiences in her stomach, the moment she looks up and views the most beautiful and alluring brown eyes, she's ever seen. The eyes are attached to an equally beautiful woman with long brown flowing locks, the mist apparent on her hair like dew drops on the grass at dawn. Her black jacket is also covered in water stains, with the shoulders being a shade darker than the rest of the jacket, her collar still pulled up around her neck. The mystery stranger just walked into her store.

"Umm hello, how can I help you?" Emily asks clearing her throat. She can't figure out why she suddenly feels so flustered. Sure the woman is beautiful but she's also a complete stranger and who knows if she's even gay. Plus, Emily has a girlfriend that she loves.

"Actually, I don't know what I want. Do you have any suggestions?" the mysterious girl says with an infectiously piercing grin. Her voice is deep and raspy making the girl even more attractive to Emily. She would never do anything to jeopardize her relationship with Maya, but there was no denying she was instantly and utterly attracted to the brunette with the immediately striking personality and swoon-worthy smile.

"Well that depends," she replies, returning the girl's smile, "Do you like something darker or sweeter?"

"How about somewhere in the middle?" The girl says leaning forward with her elbows on the counter a very large grin on her face. Was this girl flirting with Emily? Maybe the stranger was in fact gay and into her. Emily internally reminds herself that it doesn't matter. She has Maya and she definitely doesn't want to ruin that because of some stranger that makes her knees go slightly weak when she looks into her eyes. Emily takes a second to visibly think about what she could make for the brunette beauty. Her lips scrunch up and to the side with her eyes briefly scanning the ceiling.

"Can I surprise you?" She asks with a mischievous looking grin. She pauses, scanning the woman's face as the girl obviously contemplates the idea of this barista making a mystery drink for her. Emily's about to start suggesting various drinks she could make instead when the girl speaks up.

"Sure, I'm adventurous. Why not?" She finally affirms with another flash of a smile looking directly into Emily's eyes. The dark-haired barista suddenly finds it hard to breathe. _'What IS it about this girl? I don't even know her name,' _she thinks to herself.

"Wonderful. I promise you won't be sorry," Emily reassures with a smile before turning around and beginning to make the drink. Normally, Emily would focus all her attention on the task at hand; interacting with the customer only here and there but in this case there was something about this girl that was drawing her to be inquisitive. "I'm Emily by the way," she offers with a shy grin.

"Paige," the woman reveals, "Paige McCullers."

"It's nice to meet you Paige," Emily replies with a smile. '_Paige McCullers, what are you doing to me?' _She wonders as she stirs the almost complete drink. When she turns around she sees Paige still leaning on the counter, her eyes fixed purposefully on the barista. The smile on the brunette's face seems, to Emily, to have decided to make itself a permanent fixture on the already stunning face. Emily can only imagine what the girl could be thinking. Only minutes ago, when Paige passed by the shop, she seemed almost sullen. Was talking to Emily what was making this beautiful girl smile? No matter what the cause Emily decided right then and there that Paige McCullers should always be smiling. "Here try this…" The barista says sliding the drink across the counter for the girl to try.

"No poison right?" The brunette inquires teasingly. Emily shakes her head and giggles at the comment. Emily can't believe the connection she's feeling between the two of them. It is as if the room suddenly electrified the moment Paige walked in. The more they talk, the higher the voltage gets, to the point Emily wonders if she might in fact be electrocuted in the process. With the shake of Emily's head as a sufficient answer, Paige raises the straw to her lips with a single raised eyebrow, cautiously taking a sip as to add to the charade of her suspicion towards Emily's secret drink. "Wow this is absolutely amazing! What is it?" She immediately takes another sip, pleasantly surprised at the positive results of letting a complete stranger make her a completely random drink.

"It's my own concoction," Emily states with a grin. "I call it 'A Cup of Heaven'."

"Well you're right it's definitely delicious," Paige offers, taking another sip. Her eyes seem to refuse to break from Emily's. "Do you work here a lot during the week or is it only a part time gig?"

"I work almost every day, all day," Emily remarks as she starts to clean up her mess from the drink making. "Do you come here often? I don't believe I've seen you in here before."

"This is my first time here. I just moved here actually, transferred to Hollis for my junior year. I was out and decided I didn't feel like going home yet so I went for a walk. Your shop seemed really cozy as I passed so I decided I'd stop in. I'm really glad I did," Paige explains with a smile, simultaneously dipping her head and fiddling with the rim of her cup. It's probably the cutest thing Emily's ever seen and she really needs to stop thinking about it.

"Hollis huh? My girlfriend and I both attend there. What are you studying?" Emily states trying to put her mind once again on her girlfriend. She immediately wishes she didn't mention her out loud though, when the smile disappears from Paige's face the moment she utters the hint at her relationship status.

"Yeah I like it so far there. I'm an English Studies Major right now," the brunette replies, looking at her watch. "Crap, I didn't realize the time. I really should go. How much do I owe you?" The statement catches Emily off guard because of the sudden urgency behind it. She wasn't expecting the mood to shift so quickly. Suddenly the atmosphere felt rushed and tense.

"It's on the house," Emily says with a cautious smile, trying her best to salvage the mood. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. With a quick "_Thanks", _Paige smiles again but this time with what can only be described as a tinge of disappointment before turning around and heading out the door into the now heavily falling rain. Emily is unable to move as she watches the door click closed behind the brunette beauty, who wanted out so quickly that the pouring rain didn't even faze her.

"What the hell just happened?" Emily sighs out to the empty room, her mind now racing with the confusion of a million questions stemming from the interaction she just had. The biggest question though? Why was it that this mysterious girl is now the only thing she can manage to think about?


	2. Chapter 2

**-A Note: Hey readers! Here is chapter 2! I hope you all like it! Please comment and review as always! **

"What the fuck was that McCullers?" Paige mutters to herself as she walks down the abandoned street. The heavy rain seeps into her clothes as she continues on the path through the town square to her apartment. She's more than confused at what just happened. Why did she react that way? She's been turned down before, multiple times in fact so why did the fact that this one particular girl had a girlfriend matter? Why did she feel the need to leave the moment she knew the barista was unavailable?

Because her heart stopped the moment she saw Emily in that window. The moment their eyes met through the glass, with the mist falling gently on her as she walked past, Paige knew her life would never be the same. She knew within a millisecond that she would never be able to forget her eyes being drawn from the shimmering lights being reflected in the sidewalk wet from the rain to the light spilling warmth from the coffee shop. Looking up, Paige found the most beautiful woman she's ever seen in her life and her world stopped, even though she continued walking. She, the girl full of confidence, suddenly felt nervous. The tall, raven-haired girl was gorgeous but there was just something about her that Paige couldn't pinpoint as to why she found her so intriguing with only one very short look. As she continued to walk in the chilly, light rain, she could only imagine her future regret if she didn't at least try to talk to the beautiful girl with the dark but piercing eyes. What was the worst that could happen? She could not be gay or not into her and that would be ok. She was just another girl right? Paige could never have predicted how very wrong she was.

She promised herself that if the coffee shop was still open by the time she reached the end of the street and back that she would go in a talk to the stunning woman with the cute red apron. Whether something happened or not didn't matter. It was all about the experience and she would come out of it with a delicious cup of coffee at least. What Paige wasn't prepared for was the inexplicable electricity she now felt. Walking into the shop felt like walking into her future for some mysterious reason. This feeling was unexplainably explained by deep dark eyes. Looking into the barista's eyes was honestly the most full-filling, confusing, comforting, nerve-racking and wonderful feelings Paige had ever felt in the entirety of her life. There was no doubt in Paige's mind that the raven-haired beauty would somehow change her life.

Everything seemed to be going well for Paige as her interaction with barista continued. Learning Emily's name, Paige decided, was arguably one of the best moments of her life. No the girl didn't offer her last name even though Paige had, but it didn't matter. The word was barely finished forming on her lips when 'Emily' became Paige's favorite name.

The brunette was sure things were going well for her. There's was obviously a connection between them. Paige felt an indescribable pull towards Emily. The type of pull that Paige knew she wouldn't be able to break no matter how hard she tried because it was the same kind of pull planets experience. Her eyes were transfixed on Emily's slightest movements. Within a few minutes, Paige had the slight circular motion of the barista's wrist that it took to stir the drink committed to memory. She couldn't help her stare moving lower every time Emily turned around either. Maybe it was shallow of her but she couldn't help it, Emily's ass should just be considered a work of art as far as Paige was concerned.

There was just something about her though besides her exquisite aesthetics however that drew Paige to her. Her smile was infectious and her eyes were alluring in a way Paige had never experienced before. Paige was sure that if she devoted the remainder of eternity forever wandering about the farthest reaches of Emily's eyes, she would be completely happy and utterly content. Maybe that's why she felt the pit in the depth of her stomach when the raven-haired barista admitted she had a girlfriend. Maybe that's why even now, walking in the rain pouring so hard she could hear the pound of each drop falling on her head, that she feels completely and utterly defeated.

"Damn it McCullers! She's just a girl!" She says aloud in an effort convince herself. "Just _one_ girl" She's not successful. Paige had never felt defeated by being rejected before. She's always been so confident that love would find her and if she was turned down then well, perhaps it just wasn't supposed to be an experience she was meant to have. Emily was different: she was going to be a factor in Paige's future. That was no doubt about it. It didn't seem possible that she could have such an instantaneous connection with someone for Emily to only be a passing moment in her life.

By the time she reaches the front door of her apartment on the second top floor of her building, Paige is fairly certain she could wring out her skin if she wanted to. There isn't a dry spot on her body. There wasn't going to be any escape from that type of rainfall. But, she wasn't the type of girl to use an umbrella. She enjoyed the feeling of the water dripping from the tips of her hair being slicked onto her forehead. The way the droplets grow larger as she watches them fall towards her upturned face soothes her. But now, standing dripping in the hallway, confused by the coffee-shop-goddess, she felt more vulnerable than relaxed.

"Please don't be home," Paige pleads in a hushed whisper to the door. She likes her roommate but she can be a bit inquisitive. They've known each other for the little over a month that it's been since school started and Paige knew within the course of a week that her roommate liked to know every detail that was going on around her. She was so curious in fact that Paige was sure, the girl would excel at being a private investigator if she really wanted to. However, Paige was not in the mood to answer the barrage of questions she was destined to receive. All she can do is hope as she closes her eyes for a brief moment while turning the handle of the door.

"Where have you been?" She hears the moment the door swings fully open. Her roommate sits with her profile to the door, her eyes still fixed on the piles of books and papers strewn haphazardly across the table. Her tone is not motherly or demanding but rather inquisitive to no surprise. It's a genuine question but it is one Paige was hoping she didn't have to answer in depth. Maybe, just this once, the brunette would let her go with minimal digging. Something told Paige that despite her wishing, that wasn't going to happen.

"I… uh… went for a walk," Paige replies as she peels her black jacket from her pruning skin and hangs it up by the door. She takes off her shoes and awaits the rest of the questions to come from the lack of satisfaction she's sure her roommate has with her response. Paige is making a significant effort to keep her puddle concentrated on the tile in front of the door when the other brunette glances up mid-sentence.

"A walk? I thought it was rain… Oh... hrmph," the girl scoffs, trying her best to hold back her giggles at the sight of a dripping wet Paige. "Wait hold on," she continues turning away from Paige and leaving the room. Paige stands patiently on the tile, awaiting the return of her roommate. The girl reappears a few moments later with two towels, sweatpants and t-shirt in hand. "Here, try not to drip…. Everywhere." She hands a towel and the clothes to Paige, dropping the other towel to the ground on top of the growing puddle.

"Thanks," Paige remarks as she starts to dry off her hair. When her roommate stands up and walks across the room satisfied that the extent of the puddle is cleaned up, Paige changes her clothes quickly. She's skeptically of her roommate's silence. With the majority of her body dried off, minus the slight drip from her hair, Paige crosses the room to sit on the couch across from the television. It's been a long evening indeed and she wonders if she might actually get the relaxation she needs to process the events of the evening. The peacefulness doesn't last long.

"So… How did you come upon the demeanor of a drowned rat this evening roomie?" The curious brunette questions as she sits down next to Paige. Paige rolls her head back onto the couch and sighs deeply. She decides it's useless to delay the girl's curiosity any longer.

"Like I said, I went for a walk." Paige replies, hoping the girl won't dig too deep into her agitated demeanor. Paige knows her answer is insufficient when her roommates give her nothing but a raised eyebrow in response. "I stopped into that coffee shop in the square. There was this girl there and I was… Enamored I guess." Paige looks down at her hands as she speaks, a small grin on her face as she recalls the feeling in the pit of her stomach as she talked with Emily earlier that evening. Paige had made it clear to her roommate from the moment they met that she was a lady lover and her roommate made it very clear from the same moment that she didn't care as to what Paige's sexual orientation was. As long as Paige picked up after herself and didn't distract her from her studies, she didn't care who Paige dated.

"You stopped by The Brew huh?" The girl says taking a drink of her coffee that she had brought over when she sat down. She had brought one for Paige as well even though Paige hadn't touched it. For one, the coffee was an all-too-recent reminder of her failed conservation with the beautiful barista and for two, she really wasn't sure how the other brunette was able to sleep with the large amount of caffeine she regularly consumed. She was almost never without a coffee cup in hand. "Was Emily working?"

Paige's head snaps up at the mention of her name. How did her roommate know Emily? Paige knows her roommate grew up here in Rosewood just like Emily did but was Rosewood that small that they knew each other? An understanding grin grows on her roommate's face as the brunette makes the connection. "That's who your crush is, isn't it?" She asks, sitting up straighter. "You like Emily! Oh this is good." The brunette looks down with an amused look on face as if she is contemplating how amazing it is that this is such a small town. Or maybe she was contemplating the possibilities of having this dirt on her roommate.

"Wait… How do you know Emily?" Paige questions with raised eyebrows. It was weird for her to experience the smallness of the world. She had come from a large city in California to be closer to her parents who had moved here after Paige had left for college. She had heard that in a town like this, everyone knows everyone but was her roommate and Emily included in that as well?

"Emily Fields? She and I have known each other forever. She's one of my best friends. Unfortunately for you, unless something has changed in the last twenty-four hours, I'm pretty sure she and Maya are still together," Paige's roommate replies. Paige can hardly believe her luck. If she plays her cards right, she might be able to find out more about Emily then she imagined she could without making a fool of herself by going to the coffee shop every day. She now had a wealth of Emily-based knowledge just sitting across from her in their living room. Maybe she and Emily could at least be friends if anything. There was no doubt that she was going to use this resource to the best of her ability. But first, she needed to be sure her roommate wouldn't be running to Emily and spoiling any of her chances of getting to know Emily at all by spilling her secret crush to the barista.

"Look you can't tell her anything ok? I think we could be friends and I fully accept that she has a girlfriend. I just find her very attractive. I don't want to get between her and anyone ok?" She continues to plead with her eyes as her roommate seems to contemplate the pros and cons of telling Emily the little she knows about Paige's affections. Paige begins to grow anxious at the other brunette's prolonged silence.

"Spencer Hastings, if you don't do me any more favors ever again in my entire life, at least give me this… as your roommate."

"Ok, ok. I won't tell Emily that you were or are… enamored," Spencer finally replies. "But… I am going to tell her I know you. She is my best friend after all." Paige gives the girl a nod, satisfied with the result. With Spencer's questions now currently satisfied the brunette roommate returns to the table to continue her studying leaving Paige to dream about the next time she would see the dark-haired girl of her dreams, Emily Fields, again.


End file.
